Sweet Cherry Soda Bread (that’s baking soda, not soda pop!)

This is an absolutely wonderful tender bread, (almost a scone) for breakfast, with some tea or coffee, or a simple desert. Break out the mixing bowls and get the oven heating up. This is a scrumptious recipe!!!!

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8 - 12

Cook Time: 45 min @ 375 deg  

Ingredients

1 ½ cup dried cherries
4 cup AP flour + extra if it’s too sticky
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
½ cup sugar
1 generous tsp ground nutmeg
6 Tbls unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1 ½ cup buttermilk
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla

Directions

If you’re using very dried fruit, soak it in hot water to plump while getting other ingredients together, then drain for a couple minutes before adding at the end. The Michigan cherries my SIL got for me are quite moist so I skipped this step.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients together and stir with a whisk to blend. Add cubed butter and cut in well with a pastry blender or two butter knifes etc until it’s a nice crumbly mix, then add egg yolks, buttermilk, and vanilla. (I whisked them together first, but that’s probably not necessary.)

Add in dried cherries, and mix gently by hand just before forming and patting into two round boules, trying not to overwork it.  Add more flour if necessary, but it should be a bit sticky.

Replace dried cherries as desired with currents, raisins, or dried cranberries and orange zest maybe? Whatever you like, but so far, dried cherries have been the absolute best!

NOTE: Do make this in at least two smaller loaves since it will bake better. One large loaf will get too brown outside before it’s done in the middle. Two, or maybe even more smaller buns, so they will bake through the middle without getting overdone at the end.

I suggest baking on parchment paper for the best ‘bottom’. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, but watch carefully for the last 5 to 10 minutes.

Categories: Breads, Fruit Breads, Other Breads, Scones

Submitted by: buckeyegirl on February 4, 2011